Just got done watch Locklear's DVD. Best $ I've ever spend when it comes to trapping. Clint shared more what I would consider "secrets" about building baits and lures than everything I've ever read or watched combined. He went above and beyond to make sure the DVD was worth your time and your dollar. I know someone will want to jump up and say there aren't any magic secrets and i get that. Clint will say the same thing. He has a bunch of "secrets" (at least to a novice) on how to make ingredients stronger, last longer and just plain work better in formulations.

I've seen a few of his dvd's, he's a funny cat, I like'em though.

He sure takes some bashing from some folks on this forum.

He shares a ton of his experience with the trapping community and he catches alot of critters. If his straight forwards makes some people uncomfortable, well I figure it's their problem. It doesnt offend me at all. But I've missed judged people before , but usually not.

I like his down to earth no holds barred attitude! His boss dog has put a lot of yoters on strechers for me! Im anxious to try out coyote claymore!Id say his lure and bait video would be worth the money.im with you yes sir his approach doesn't bother me! Hes just a confident redneck as with a lot of us!

You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to be and should do. Sad way to live when you need to try to fit in and not be ya self.

His videos are common sense and 90% of what he talks about is already on the net with a bunch of other folks twists on formulas. Bait and Lure is being pushed and complicated due to trying to push people out. If these formulas are so great why are trappers filling shelves with dozens of products and still asking what works for you? Oh and his videos can be dl'd too.

I think people just don't realize how important location is. They expect whatever they rubbed on that rock to get wiley to change course and go find it. Sure that happens but as you know being on location will up your catch 90%.

See the same thing fishing. If your fishing where the fish are, when they are hungry, type of bait or lure isn't all that critical.

If a trap is in the right place it doesn't really matter when the animal moves the trap is patiently waiting. Pole fishing its all about the right time as well as location. Its why so many run lines for big catfish. Again. Line is there patiently waiting.

Danny
I agree location is key, if the animals aren't close enough to find your sets you won't catch them. I'll concede I've only been trapping for 6 or 7 years and testing lures for a couple of years but from my experience I feel comfortable to say some lures are better than others. There's a lot of lures that will take a percentage of animals that find it the first time. But I have yet to find the lure that will catch every coyote that smells it the first time they find it. Also take into the mix whether the attractiveness is strong enough that the animal will continue to find the odor attractive beyond there first encounter with it. And also how long the lure will last. I tested one bait last year that got dug at at least 4 times, had trackes within 6 inches of the hole at least 10 times and this was with only appling bait once to the hole over at least a month and half with enough rain to fill the hole with water 3 times. If one doesn't believe some lures are better than others just read the numerous government studies that have been done. JMHO
Pic is about 2 months after application

I agree some are better than others, but none will pull a coyote or cat or coon very far very often. ( yes sometimes they will but rarely) If you need a call lure you need a road kill deer or horse or something. Those two thing's will pull them in for miles. May take a week or three but they will come and when they do you need stuff working and waiting.

I completely agree. As far as trade secrets, there aren't any trade secrets in his videos. He tells you how to tincture a couple of ingredients which you can find all over the net then stops short and says he isn't going to tell you how to finish "his" way of tincturing a product or where to buy from. Which is irrelevant if the bait or lure doesn't work for the individual using the product, and that would be the "trade secret" but it isn't needed. Or making the best smelling fish oil on the market but wouldn't sell it due to it's shelf life, which if you used different materials on that same application it would last for quite a while for home use.

So what is the difference between a"tremendous" (his words) bait formula that will attract lots of animals that is shown in videos than what is bottled? Few more preservatives besides sb and mp and the base to the formula he gives out would outlast your lifespan along with the next trapper in line. What good are trade secrets to someone who can't find sign or set a trap in a location that has animals? Rely on the advertisement of what the bait/ lure is supposed to do? We all know by reading the many posts hocus pocus in a bottle doesn't exist. Kicking up castor, pretty easy to do but if you read into his method even the way he explains the process you'd never get it like his because you don't know how to finish the tincture that he uses, again not needed and copying a formula without the exact ingredients would be hard to do. Copying any formula is a waste of time and money if you're shooting for the same odor, virtually impossible to do when you don't know how they handled materials etc.

Never was a fan of building bait and lure to my nose, which imo is a mistake if that's what is being done, I've always let the animal dictate what goes into the bait and lure. What an animal should do and what it does do are apples and oranges at times. I've always started out one ingredient at a time or a combo that I've tested and got favorable results and went from there. I like clint and his way of doing things, but you can't get caught up in the magical mind games that come with the whole bait&lure scheme.

That is unless the animals you're trapping are surfing the net on the trapping forums while taking notes of all the recipes that are riding the waves on these threads and therefore know not to bite on them. Those are the smart ones that only fall for the ones that are commercially bottled. Even the best bait in the country with 30+ years of trade secrets and special in house ingredients sits on shelves because it doesn't work for a lot of people. The critters we trap year round may be dumb but the property owners pay very well to have them trapped and removed, no time for trial and error we use what works for us and skill, luck and knowledge of the animal will trump trade secrets any day of the week.

Always Im saying is there was a lot of stuff on his video I'VE never seen and I been eating up everything I can find on lure making for a couple years. If you already know it great for you. But a lot of it I'd never seen. And I'm sure his video could help a lot of beginners out. If someone already know everything then they probably won't need the video.

I agree if they knew it all they wouldn't need the video, I watch a lot of videos and read quite a bit to keep me entertained and learn from others experiences, but applying methods on my jobs is what I really learn from. Everything looks good on paper or in video until it needs to take place in the field. As stated 90% of what is on them videos are on forums and the net, one big circle. The other 10% is something that works for him, just like all the other folks who don't need to buy commercially bottled lure and do just fine on numbers. Bait & Lure IMO are purchased for convenience not because you need a phd in the chemical makeup in compounding them together. Formulas that are complex are only that way due to what the formulator is trying to accomplish and nothing more. Which is a big waste of time to someone if the bait or lure doesn't work for them. The next question would be is it the bait or location?

There is no such thing as knowing it "all". I picked up a few things from his video just like I have other people's lure making videos. Small things make all the difference.

What I like about videos is I play them multiple times usually in the background while I am doing other things. Just like reading a book multiple times I pick up on little things, not big things.

Seems like with trapping videos trappers are always looking for that 'one big secret" that is out there that is always elusive and trappers have been pursuing it forever. That "one big secret" is never really there, just clusters of little things put together with hard work and understanding of the target animal combined with perfect conditions equals super catch photo.

Are we now carrying that over to lure making? The expectation that somewhere out there is that "one big secret"? I am far from a person who should be giving advice I am in grade school when it comes to comparing to others in the lure business. But I think it like trapping is clusters of little things, that add up to success.

What i do like is comparing the beliefs of different lure makers, on their videos or in person, all successful in their own ways. Tincturing VS never tincturing, glycol VS alcohol, theory on ingredients, thickening etc. More importantly to me is not what they do....but WHY they do it.

I will admit here publicly to being a stalker of Bob Jameson when it comes to lure and bait making. Quality information and it doesn't always line up with what I have been taught, but I throw it into what I already know and before you know it I have my own "style" which is a combination of all that I have learned from the various sources.

Several of you guys chime in now and then, not with huge secrets, but with little things that not only do you explain what, but more important to me why.

It's the why that I want to understand.

yes I agree some scents get way more attention than others. But I still firmly believe a location is just that, some locations are vistited by 1-2 predators others every one that passes by. And I believe with time and effort a great location can be made. Same as a great exsisting location can be ruined! Convenience is the main factor in commercial attractors, for numerous reasons. I've often wondered if a top formula was given out how many would actually attempt to make it. I can speak for my self it depends on the cost and materials needed. Maybe this is why the pros use such a elaborate list of materials duplication will be hard. Even if you see it and read it all minds understand things differently

Bruce I'm right there with you on trying to learn things about lure making. I can relate to everything you stated. As far as everyone talking location on here , I get that and yes location is the biggest factor on catching animals. If you don't have a good handle on location yet you probably shouldn't be trying to be making your own lures and baits.

From what many type around here, the experience in the bottle is supposed to take care of all that because of the hard to get authentic complex ingredient lists that are used. If the commercially bottled stuff isn't doing it and you get better results on your own stuff why not make it? Location is easy once you learn to read the forest floor, you don't need to be a professional tracker to find animals.

Mr Rhoads, it could be the kool aid

I agree. That's why I wonder why the topic of location keeps coming up on the lure making forum over and over again, especially whenever mention of "a really good lure" comes up. I've been testing for about two years and I do believe that there are lures out there that are superior to other lures. Notice I didn't say that they are the "magic bullet ".
Just to be clear I'm speaking of coyote lures as that's what I have the most experience with.